July 22, 2010

Music

Underage

Your Best All-Ages Options at Capitol Hill Block Party

by Megan Seling

The one bummer about the Capitol Hill Block Party is that not every stage is open to all ages—both the Cha Cha and Neumos are 21+, which means you 20-and-under attendees will miss some of the local highlights, including Head Like a Kite (their new record is great!), Past Lives, Helms Alee, and Book of Black Earth.

But all is not lost. Here are the bands I'm most excited about that are playing the all-ages-friendly Main and Vera stages (for coverage on every goddamn band, see also our Capitol Hill Block Party guide in this issue):

Holy Fuck (Fri, 9:15 pm, Main Stage): Not only will catching Holy Fuck give you a great excuse to miss Jaguar Love (whom I do not like at all, if only for what they did to Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" while opening for Against Me! at Neumos a few months ago), but you'll also be blown away by the electronic band's intense and air-tight live show.

Black Breath (Sat, 6:30 pm, Vera Stage): So you won't get to see local death-metal act Book of Black Earth tear apart Neumos on Sunday, but that's okay! Because Black Breath will surely soothe your guitar-solo cravings with their sonic explosions and songs about eating out witches and spitting on crosses.

Grand Hallway (Sat, 9:30 pm, Vera Stage): This lovely local pop orchestra featuring Asahi's Tomo Nakayama at the helm is perhaps the most perfect way to come down from whatever panic attack Black Breath will have worked up within you.

Also recommended: Obits, the Redwood Plan, Cold Lake, S, and the Dutchess and the Duke.

Thurs July 22: What What Now, Kids and Animals, We Were Skeletons, Jason Clackley at Black Lodge, 9 pm, $5.

Sat July 24: Amos Lee, Rocky Votolato, Star Anna, Ian Moore at the Mural Amphitheatre, 4:30 pm, $15–$25.

Mon July 26: Wolf Parade at Showbox at the Market, 8 pm, $21 adv/$23 DOS.

See All-Ages Events in our Calendar »